Carrock Fell and High Pike are a good choice during the peak season when the classics are busy, and the car parks over-full. As you begin the first and steepest climb, the sheep munch, the rocks skitter away and the beck rushes downwards, catch your breath and look behind at the flat plains towards Penrith and beyond, you get a real sense of the start of the fells from here. Once you are at Carrock Fell, the bogs begin, and it’s fairly flat (albeit muddy) to High Pike. The run down is brilliant, with open grassy fell in front of you. It’s usually fairly quiet, but even if it wasn’t, there’s plenty of space and you can see so far, you don’t feel hemmed in. It’s good on a sunny day, but then, isn’t all fell running good on a sunny day…?
You can look at the story on strava here. Download the GPX file here.
